Traditional Black and White Photography

Response

This text started off as a beautiful surprise FB Messsge from a friend in Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, now rewritten by her almost verbatim for the Manjimup brochure:

"Kat Campbell" is a dream! That light splashing about the room disguising the heavy supple presence of the human amongst the artefacts is both blinding and illuminating. It makes me wonder. . ?

And "Woman and Clay" made me so uncomforable I had to look away several times before I could take in the fluid and starkly sensual depicion of a woman embodying nature. To see the goddess innate in every woman hanging in front of me was astonishing and empowering.

Black and white silver gelatine prints! What a joy to see in the flesh, so to speak. It is such a beautifully sleek medium, like a perfectly tailired suit . . .

When discussing the possible responses to the upcoming Austin exhibtiion in Manjimup a curious friend asked what the controversy might be. After I explained the forest protest and female nunde lines of Austin's work she happily rejoiced that we will have an exhibition that challenges people.

John Austin

John Austin's black & white silver gelatin photographs are in many collections, including the National Portrait Gallery; the Art Gallery of Western Australia; the Australian National Library; Curtin University, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery; Western Australian Department of Justice and corporate and private collections in Australia, Singapore, the USA, South America and England.

" . . . [his work] will continue to remind us what has been, what is happening now , , , and what this means for the future of humanity"